Royal Mail bosses have been accused of telling staff to hold back letters and Christmas cards in favour of parcels.
Members of the Communication Workers Union have said managers told workers to "suspend delivery of letters this week". A letter from CWU assistant secretary Mark Baulch says staff were told to "only focus on the delivery of parcels, tracked items and special delivery".
It means that Christmas cards being sent to family and friends could be heavily delayed. It comes as 115,000 postal workers initiate a 48-hour strike today which is expected to halt deliveries on Christmas Eve and create a severe backlog in sorting offices, the Mirror reports.
